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HVAC Zone Controls & Zoning Dampers

wifi zoning

Solving Hot and Cold Spots with Ecojay SmartZone: The Key to Ultimate Home Comfort

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The Problem: Uneven Temperatures in the Home

Have you ever noticed that certain areas of your home always seem to be hotter or colder than others? Maybe the upstairs bedrooms feel like a sauna in the summer, while the basement is freezing year-round. These temperature imbalances are a common problem in many homes, and they can lead to discomfort, higher energy bills, and unnecessary wear on your HVAC system.

The root cause of this issue is the way traditional HVAC systems operate. Most homes have a single thermostat that controls the temperature for the entire house. This means your system is either heating or cooling the whole home based on the temperature in just one location—often the hallway or living room. This single-point control doesn’t account for natural variations in temperature due to sunlight exposure, room usage, or airflow inefficiencies. As a result, you end up with hot and cold spots, leading to an ongoing battle with fans, space heaters, and constant thermostat adjustments.

The Solution: Smart HVAC Zoning with Ecojay SmartZone

Ecojay’s SmartZone system is designed to eliminate these temperature imbalances by intelligently controlling airflow throughout your home. Instead of relying on a single thermostat, SmartZone allows you to divide your home into multiple climate-controlled zones, each with its own thermostat. This means your HVAC system can send conditioned air only where it’s needed, rather than wasting energy heating or cooling the entire house when only certain areas need adjustment.

SmartZone works by using motorized dampers installed within your ductwork. These dampers open and close to direct airflow precisely where it's needed, based on the temperature settings in each zone. If your upstairs bedrooms are too warm, SmartZone will send more cool air to those areas while reducing airflow to other parts of the home that are already at a comfortable temperature. Conversely, during colder months, it ensures heat is delivered to rooms that need it most, eliminating the common problem of freezing basements and chilly bedrooms.

How SmartZone Improves Home Comfort

1. Addressing Hot Spots

One of the biggest benefits of SmartZone is its ability to tackle those notoriously hot areas in your home. South-facing rooms, upper floors, and rooms with large windows often receive excessive sunlight, making them warmer than the rest of the house. With a standard HVAC setup, these rooms remain hot because the thermostat in a different part of the home may not detect the higher temperature. SmartZone solves this by ensuring that cool air is directed to these problem areas exactly when it's needed, keeping the entire home comfortable.

2. Eliminating Cold Spots

Just as hot spots are a problem, so are cold spots—especially in basements or rooms that lack sufficient airflow. SmartZone allows you to send more warm air to these spaces without overheating the rest of the home, creating a balanced and even temperature throughout. No more bundling up with extra blankets or using space heaters just to make one room livable.

3. Customizable Comfort for Every Family Member

Every household has different temperature preferences. Some people like to sleep in a cool room, while others prefer a warmer environment. With SmartZone, each person can set their own preferred temperature for their bedroom or living space. This means no more thermostat wars between family members—everyone gets the comfort level they desire.

4. Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings

By directing heating and cooling only where it’s needed, SmartZone prevents wasted energy, reducing your HVAC system’s workload. This leads to lower energy bills and extends the lifespan of your heating and cooling equipment. Instead of running at full capacity for the entire home, SmartZone helps your system operate more efficiently, reducing wear and tear over time.

5. Smart Integration and Automation

Ecojay’s SmartZone system can be integrated with smart home technology, allowing you to control your home’s climate remotely. Whether you’re at work, on vacation, or just lounging in another room, you can adjust settings using a smartphone or tablet. Additionally, SmartZone can learn your household’s heating and cooling patterns, optimizing comfort and efficiency automatically.

Other Comfort Benefits of SmartZone

Beyond solving hot and cold spots, SmartZone provides additional advantages that contribute to a more comfortable home environment:

  • Reduced Noise: Traditional HVAC systems often operate at full blast to heat or cool the entire house. With SmartZone, your system can run at lower speeds more often, resulting in a quieter operation.

  • Better Air Quality: By controlling airflow more precisely, SmartZone helps distribute air more evenly, reducing stagnation and improving indoor air quality.

  • Extended Equipment Life: Because your HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard, it experiences less strain, leading to fewer breakdowns and a longer lifespan.

Is SmartZone Right for Your Home?

If you’re struggling with temperature imbalances and looking for a way to improve comfort while also saving on energy costs, Ecojay SmartZone is the perfect solution. It’s ideal for:

  • Multi-level homes where upstairs rooms get too hot or too cold.

  • Homes with large windows or sunrooms that experience extreme temperature variations.

  • Families with differing temperature preferences.

  • Anyone looking to increase HVAC efficiency and reduce energy bills.

Conclusion

No one should have to deal with hot and cold spots in their home. Ecojay SmartZone offers a powerful yet simple solution to this common problem by intelligently directing airflow where and when it’s needed. By customizing comfort for each zone, improving energy efficiency, and integrating with smart home systems, SmartZone transforms the way your HVAC system operates, ensuring a comfortable and balanced home environment all year round.

If you’re ready to take control of your home’s comfort and eliminate temperature imbalances for good, consider upgrading to Ecojay SmartZone. Your home—and your family—will thank you.

SmartZone-4X 3.0
Sale Price: $269.99 Original Price: $299.00

How to Operate an HVAC Zoning System Efficiently

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Managing your home's HVAC system efficiently ensures comfort, energy savings, and longevity for your equipment. With a 4-zone SmartZone control system, Vine connected Wi-Fi thermostats, and EcoJay’s Outdoor Temperature Controller with free-cooling features (economizer), you have the tools to achieve optimal performance. Here are some tips to get the most out of your setup:

1. Set Smart Thermostat Schedules

Using the scheduling feature on your Vine Wi-Fi thermostats is one of the easiest ways to save energy:

  • Create zone-specific schedules based on occupancy. For instance, prioritize heating or cooling in bedrooms during the night and in common areas during the day.

  • Set back temperatures when zones are unoccupied. For example, raise the cooling setpoint by 4–6°F or lower the heating setpoint by 8–10°F.

2. Take Advantage of the Free-Cooling Feature

The free-cooling feature, also known as an economizer, can reduce energy usage by leveraging outdoor air for cooling when the conditions are favorable. EcoJay’s Outdoor Temperature Controller makes this easy:

  • Understand the conditions for free-cooling: Free-cooling is effective when outdoor air is cooler than your indoor setpoint and has low humidity.

  • Configure your economizer settings:

    • Set the temperature threshold on the Outdoor Temperature Controller to activate free-cooling (e.g., when outdoor temperatures are below 60°F).

    • Adjust the dampers to let in fresh, cool outdoor air while minimizing mechanical cooling.

  • Use during transitional seasons: Spring and fall are ideal for economizer use, as outdoor temperatures are often moderate.

  • Monitor system operation: Ensure the economizer dampers and controller are functioning correctly to avoid overcooling or bringing in excessive humidity.

3. Balance Zones Appropriately

  • Ensure proper damper operation: Verify that the dampers for each zone respond correctly to thermostat commands. Stuck or malfunctioning dampers can lead to inefficiency and discomfort.

  • Avoid extreme setpoints: Large temperature differences between zones can strain your HVAC system. Keep setpoints within 5°F to 10°F of each other for smoother operation.

  • Minimize unused zones: If a zone is rarely used, set its thermostat to a minimal setting to conserve energy while ensuring the zone doesn’t fall too far out of the desired range.

4. Optimize Ventilation and Airflow

  • Keep vents clear: Ensure furniture or curtains do not block air supply and return vents.

  • Regularly clean filters: Dirty filters restrict airflow, making your system work harder. Replace or clean filters every 1–3 months, depending on usage.

  • Inspect the ductwork: Leaks in ducts can lead to significant energy loss. Seal any gaps with professional-grade duct tape or mastic sealant.

5. Use Thermostat Features Wisely

Vine thermostats have smart features to enhance efficiency:

  • Enable geofencing: This adjusts settings automatically based on whether you’re home or away.

  • Monitor energy usage: Use the app to track heating and cooling patterns and make adjustments to schedules or setpoints.

  • Utilize adaptive recovery: If your Vine thermostats support it, this feature gradually adjusts the temperature to ensure comfort by the time you’ve scheduled it, avoiding unnecessary overuse of the HVAC system.

6. Stay Ahead with Maintenance

  • Inspect the economizer regularly: Dust, debris, or malfunctioning components can affect free-cooling performance. Clean and maintain the dampers, sensors, and outdoor air intake.

  • Schedule professional checkups: A technician can ensure your entire system, including the SmartZone controller and economizer, is functioning efficiently.

Conclusion

Your SmartZone HVAC system, paired with Vine thermostats and EcoJay’s SmartZone PLUS Outdoor Temperature Controller, offers great potential for comfort and efficiency. By implementing smart schedules, leveraging free-cooling, balancing zones, and maintaining your system, you can enjoy a more energy-efficient and comfortable home.

Regular monitoring and adjustments ensure that your HVAC system meets your household's needs while keeping energy costs low.

SmartZone-4X
Sale Price: $239.99 Original Price: $299.00
Outdoor Air Thermostat
Sale Price: $59.99 Original Price: $79.99

NEW Product: Common Wire Adapter Kit

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Sometimes, when upgrading to SmartZone or even when upgrading to a new modern thermostat without zoning, the existing wires running to the old thermostat do not have enough conductors to make it operate properly. It can sometimes be an impossible task to run a new wire to the location where the thermostat or SmartZone panel is located. For some time, we have been recommending the use of an “Add-A-Wire” kit from LUX to solve this problem but we are now offering a solution from Vine called a COMMON WIRE ADAPTER. This new solution is available at ZoningSupply.com and can be added to any thermostat that needs an additional wire.

Existing: Three (3) wires, Needed for upgrade: Four (4) wires

Existing: Four (4) wires, Needed for upgrade: Five (5) wires

Existing: Five (5) wires, Needed for upgrade: Six (6) wires


Works with any thermostat that needs a common wire. Nest, Honeywell, LUX, Vine, Braeburn, Trane, Johnson, Carrier, Bosch, and MANY MORE.

WiFi Zoning using Wyze Thermostat with SmartZone?

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Is this finally an inexpensive, but quality WiFi thermostat to pair with SmartZone for the perfect affordable WiFi HVAC Zoning solution? Short answer… yes, if your biggest driving factor is cost. These, if you can get them from Wyze.com*, are only $79 each. And when you need two or three or four or more for a SmartZone system, this low cost seems quite appealing.

I received a pre-order version (two actually) and have been testing them on the workbench and at home for a few months. Although there were a couple of hiccups when I installed the first one, I haven’t had any issues since installation and have subsequently installed 2 more (in a different location).

Although, they might lack a few of the finer aspects of the nest or some of the flexibility of the ecobee, the Wyze does work and is almost half the cost.

For either Heat Pump or Gas/Electric, etc equipment types, the Wyze works great. It is basic, but everything you need for 90% of customers (including my on personal system).

(Note: there is no remote sensor at the time of writing of this but they (Wyze) do say one is in the works for the future)

*as of this writing August 2021, they are out of stock from Wyze and most re-sellers on ebay or amazon want more for them than retail. When the price goes up, this becomes less appealing because there are good options available at the $150 price range already.

Wyze Thermostat.JPG

Buy here: https://wyze.com/wyze-thermostat.html


When NOT to use a Wyze…

1. If you need a remote sensor. ecobee or honeywell or nest all have them.
2. If you use the APP all the time. I’m not going to say the app is buggy, but it isn’t quite as robust yet as some of the others like ecobee or nest.

The app works great for me, but we only use the app once or twice per month or so. We mostly interact with the thermostat and only use the app occasionally for remote changing of temperature or to check if it is off while we are out of town. If I used the APP every day as a part of my temperature management, I would probably go with the ecobee or nest.

Also as a brief aside, I DO recommend the Wyze cameras also, but I don’t have much frame of reference because they are the only Wifi cameras I have ever had but I have used them for about 4 years and, for the price, can’t be beat. https://wyze.com/wyze-cam-black.html

With thermostats, however, I do have extensive experience and have tested (or at least played with) most all Wifi thermostats on the market. The Wyze fits the bill as an excellent “budget” WiFi thermostats which makes it a perfect upgrade to a SmartZone system.

COST:

At ZoningSupply.com you can purchase a 4-zone kit (including everything you need except thermostats) starting at $750 ($500 for 2 zones) and $320 for thermostats (4X $79ea). This means for about $1000 you can get everything you need for a full 4-Zone WiFi Zoning System and about $660 for a full Wifi 2-zone SmartZone system.

Check out SmartZone Kits here: https://zoningsupply.com/buy/2-3-or-4-zone-kits

We are not affiliated in any way with Wyze, however, we have reached out to them to see if we could be an authorized reseller to bring WiFi kits to our customers but have not yet heard back… probably because they are always out of stock.

WiFi Thermostat Roundup 2017

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Just a few short years ago, WiFi thermostats were only made by a very few companies starting with Ecobee and RadioThermostat, followed by Nest.  A couple of years pass and big names in the HVAC industry (Honeywell, Emerson, Venstar, etc) join the WiFi thermostat party.  In 2017 we have more to chose from than can easily be kept up with.  Note: All prices as of this article publish date.

All of the WiFi thermostats listed below will work with any SmartZone

I am sure there will be even more on the market in 2018, we will keep watching the WiFi thermostat bubble grow!  More than 15 are listed here (and I know they are not all listed).  If you know of any more, comment or tweet to us @zoning_supply


wifi stat - bosch connected.JPG

Bosch - $ 170, 4-Heat, 2-Cool, GE/HP, Hum, deHum, Color: White
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XHD8BB



TOP PICK

*Ecobee 3 - $ 169, 3-Heat, 2-Cool, Best for zoning in our opinion.
https://www.amazon.com/ecobee3-Smart-Thermostat-Works-Amazon/dp/B06W56TBLN/


wifi stat - ecobee4 w Alexa.JPG

PREMIUM CHOICE

Ecobee 4 - $ 247, 3-Heat, 2-Cool, Alexa-Enabled
https://www.amazon.com/ecobee4-Alexa-Enabled-Thermostat-Sensor-Amazon/dp/B06W2LQY6L/


wifi stat - emerson sensi color.JPG

Emerson Sensi Color Touch - $ 169, 2 Heat, 2 Cool, GE/HP
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CEUDH?psc=1


Emerson Sensi - $ 99, 1 Heat, 1 Cool, GE/HP
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHE6CW2?psc=1


wifi stat - nest.JPG

Nest - $ 249, 3-Heat, 2-Cool
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0131RG6VK/





wifi stat -Honeywell 7-day.JPG

Honeywell Basic 7-day - $ 90, 1-Heat, 1-Cool, GE, Color: White (Yes this is WiFi--even though it doesn't look like anything other than an inexpensive thermostat)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y6M2OUC/




wifi stat - Lux Pro Black.JPG
wifi stat - Lux Pro.JPG

VALUE CHOICE #1

Lux PRO GEO - $ 115, Geofencing, Mount Vertical or Horizontal, Color: Black or White
https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Products-GEO-WH-Thermostat-Amazon/dp/B010PTKWW6/


wifi stat - RadioThermostat.JPG

RadioThermostat - $ 99, 2-Heat, 2-Cool, GE/HP, Modules for Zigbee & Z-Wave
https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Thermostat-Programmable-Enabled-Controls/dp/B00KQS35XA/


wifi stat - Vine.JPG

VALUE CHOICE #2

*Vine - $ 99, Settings Knob, Color Screen & Night-Light
https://www.amazon.com/Vine-Programmable-Thermostat-Touchscreen-Nightlight/dp/B01JU1DZN8/



Any information in this article should be verified with the manufacturer of each product listed.  Specifications, prices & availability are all subject to change and will not be kept current on this post.  Please email us if you have any questions.

ALSO NOTE:  We (I) have not been paid or compensated in any way for this article by any of the manufacturers of these products.  I have not even received any free product... anything reviewed has been purchased through retail outlets and tested with SmartZone zone control products for the use of ZoningSupply.com customers.  This information is not intended to be exhaustive or claim expert knowledge about all of these thermostats.  Thank you.

Air balancing information & IOT evaluation from ContractingBusiness

Other HVAC, HVAC Contractorszoning supplyComment

Good articles that can affect HVAC zone control

If your technicians aren’t checking system airflow on every service call, you’re doing your company and your customers a disservice. Air balancing is the missing link in getting residential HVAC systems to perform at or near their peak levels.
— ContractingBusiness.com

Photo by scyther5/iStock / Getty Images
It is easy to be confused when it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT), with so many products and objects being connected and made more intelligent. It sounds overly complex, but one application that is easy to understand is HVAC IoT.

HVAC IoT is made up of a system of smart thermostats placed throughout building zones. The devices, and therefore the zones, are connected over wireless and software and work together as one brain. The brain has a nervous system with sensor endings in every room, hallway or lobby to monitor any environmental changes that could prompt the HVAC system to react
— ContractingBusiness.com